Ball-caster



Patented Oct. 25, I898.

No. a|2,s49.

K. A. KLOSE.

BALL CASTER.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1898.)

(N0 Modei.)

s vzrzwco. mom ur form shown in Fig. 3, with three (more or UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL AUGUST KLOSE, OF DES PLAINE S, ILLINOIS.

BALL-CASTER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,849, dated October25, 1898.

Application filed January 8, 1 89 8.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL AUGUST KLosE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Des Plaines, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented new and useful Iniprovements in Casters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to casters, and contemplates the provision of acaster designed more especially for use on pianos and other very heavyarticles of furniture to the end that they may be easily moved whendesired.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claims when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved caster in itsoperative position upon the leg of a piece of furniture. Fig. 2 is adetail perspective view of the casing'of the caster. Fig. 3 is aninverted plan view of the caster with the casing, the principal ball,and the casing of one ball-race removed. Fig. 4 is a detail perspectiveview of the casing of one ball-race. Fig. 5 is a detail horizontalsection taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 y of Fig. 1. Fig. 6is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line 00 0c ofFig. 3 and illustrating one of the antifrictionrollers and its bearings,and Fig. 7 is a detail end elevation of the same.

In the said drawings similar letters designate corresponding parts inall of the several views, referring to which A designates the leg of apiece of furniture, and B designates the body-plate of my improvedcaster, which is preferably of the less) apertured lugs 11 for thepassage of screws which connect it to the lower end of the leg, asshown. This plate B is provided at its under side, aboutits center, withthree annular ball-races c, which are each designed to receive acircular series of small antifrictionballs d and a single larger ball e,the latter being arranged in the center and having its bearing againstthe plurality of small balls, as shown. Each ball-race c is inclosed bya casing f, havinga central aperture g, through which a ball 6protrudes, and a plurality of upwardly-extending lugs h, that aredesigned to be passed through apertures i in the body- Serial No.666,062. (No model.)

plate 13 and have their ends bent against the walls of the recesses j inthe upper side of said plate after the manner shown in Fig. 1, so as toconnect the casing to the plate. The body-plate B is also provided withthree (more or less) pairs of hangers Z, which have inclined notches madjacent to their lower ends designed to receive shafts or arbors n, onwhich antifriction-rollers O are loosely mounted, as shown. Theserollers O are preferably of truncated cone shape with slightly-concaveperipheries, and they are preferably arranged opposite the spacesbetween the ball-races c and with their large ends at a greater distancefrom the center of the bodyplate than their small ends. A washer 19 isloosely arranged on each shaft or arbor n. and against the outer hangers7c, and a ball-race q.is formed in the outer end of each roller 0 toreceive antifriction-balls a, which are designed to bear against thewashers p and reduce the friction incident to the end thrust oftherollers, as presently described;

D designates the casing of the caster, which is preferably. formed inone piece of sheet metal, although it may be cast when desired. Thiscasing D comprises an upper portion 8,

of the shape shown in Fig. 2, and a lower annular portion t, and it isprovided at the upper end of the portion t with sockets it to receiveballs 1;, and is also provided at the upper end of its portion 8 withtongues w, which are designed to take into the notches a: of and bebrazed or otherwise connected to the body-plate B.

When desirable, the inner walls of the notches 00 may be beveled orinclined, as illus trated "by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the tongues wof casingD may be bent inwardly against the same.

As better shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the casing portion tisprovided at its lower end with an inwardly-directed flan go 1 whichserves to prevent the principal ball E of the caster from dropping outof the casing when the caster is lifted from the floor or other base onwhich it bears. The said ball E, which is of the proportional sizeshown, normally rests loose in the casing D and bears against the balls0 and the balls 6, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby it will be seen that thefriction between the ball and the casing and between the ball andbody-plate is reduced to a minimum and that in consequence the ball isenabled to freely turn, so as to permit of the piece of furniture towhich the caster is connected being moved with Very little effort. Theprincipal ball E also normally bears against the antifriction-rollers O,and in con sequence when the piece of furniture to which the caster isconnected is moved the rear roller 0, with reference to the direction inwhich the caster moves, will receive the pressure of the ball E and takethe same off the casing D. For instance, if the caster were moved in thedirection indicated by the large arrow in Fig. 3 the pressure of theprincipal ball E would be against the roller or rollers C at the rear ofthe large arrow and the said rollers 0 would be thrust outwardly or inthe direction indicated by the small arrows. The friction incident tosuch end thrust of the roller will be reduced to a minimum by theantifriction-balls r, and consequently it will be seen that while thesaid roller will receive the pressure of the principal ball it isadapted to freely rotate and thereby materially reduce the frictionincident to such pressure.

The antifriction-rollers G are highly desirable for the reasons statedwhen the caster is applied to a very heavy piece of furniture. When,however, the caster is to be applied to a piece of furniture of mediumweight, the said rollers C and their appurtenances may be omitted, inwhich case the roller E would bear against the balls 6 and 1; alone.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a caster, thecombination of the bodyplate having a plurality of horizontal, circularball-races grouped about its center, an outer casing suitably connectedwith the body-plate, casings covering the ball-races and connected withthe body-plate and having central apertures, antifriction-balls darranged in the races, larger balls 6 bearing against the balls 61 andprotruding throughthe central apertures of the casings, and theprincipal ball arranged in and depending be low the outer casing so asto rest on a floor or other base and bearing against the balls 2,substantially as specified.

2. In a caster, the combination of the body having depending hangersarranged in pairs about its center, shafts journaled in said hangers,cone-shaped antifriction-rollers mounted on the shafts and having theirouter ends arranged at a greater distance from the center of thebody-plate than their inner ends, an outer casing suitably connectedwith the body-plate, the principal ball arranged in and depending belowthe outer casing so as to rest on a floor and adapted to bear againstthe antifriction-rollers,and antifriction-balls suit ably interposedbetween said principal ball and the body-plate, substantially asspecified.

3. In a caster, the combination of the body having the circularball-races arranged about its center and also having hangers arranged inpairs about its center, shafts journaled in said hangers, cone-shapedantifriction-rollers mounted on the shafts and having their outer endsarranged at a greater distance from the center of the body-plate thantheir inner ends, antifriction -balls interposed between the outer endsof the rollers and the adjacent hangers, an outer casing suitablyconnected with the body-plate and having the sockets u, casings coveringthe ball-races and connected with the body-plate and having centralapertures, antifriction balls (1 arranged in the races, larger balls ebearing against the balls d and protruding through the central aperturesof the casings, antifriction-balls 1; arranged in the sockets u of thecasing, and the principal ball arranged in and depending below the outercasing and bearing against the balls u and e and adapted to bear againstthe antifriction-rollers, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

KARL AUGUST KLOSE. Witnesses:

OHAs. E. J ONES,

GEO. M. WHITCOMB.

